Chapter 1 …
A heavy silence filled the interrogation room.
Kwon Ik-sung set the papers down with a soft thud.
Even that tiny sound made Lee Yu-ji flinch.
Yu-ji forced a pitiful smile, but Ik-sung’s stern expression didn’t budge.
“…So what you’re saying is that all of these cases were solved through your possession, Investigator Lee Yu-ji?”
“W-what do you mean? Ah, look at the time—almost lunch! I’m in charge of meals for my team, and, well… I don’t know if you’ve heard, but our team doesn’t get meal stipends, so we always play Go-Stop to cover food money…”
She tried to slip away with awkward acting, but then Ik-sung said something that froze her stiff.
“The Cheonho-dong illegal fight club case.”
His calm eyes scanned the report.
“The Geumho-dong weapons smuggling investigation.”
“…”
“The bus bombing incident downtown.”
“…”
“And even the bomb removal inside the HSU headquarters.”
“Excuse me! I didn’t remove it. I only found it!”
Yu-ji straightened her slumped shoulders and spoke proudly.
Ik-sung’s reply was simple.
“Yes. You only found it. Correction noted. Bomb discovery.”
No room to wriggle out.
Realizing that, Yu-ji’s face darkened like a storm cloud.
Seeing her droopy expression, Ik-sung was reminded of a golden retriever with its ears and tail down.
…Honestly, the resemblance was uncanny.
“Well… um… how do I put this…”
“Public servants who reawaken without reporting are punishable by law.”
“You’re going to turn me in?”
Her voice cracked from panic.
“I could.”
Under the interrogation room’s dim lights, Kwon Ik-sung’s face practically glowed.
Even in this depressing lighting, his face is still radiant…
Without meaning to, Yu-ji admired him internally.
Back when she read this ‘novel,’ Kwon Ik-sung had been her favorite character.
A government hunter.
Rank 3.
A strict rule-abiding type.
And now, I’m benefiting from that exact personality!
But today, that same man was threatening to report her.
“But we’ve built a good partnership between Team 1 and Team 5, haven’t we? I helped you a lot! I even pushed the Geumho-dong case to Team 1 instead of taking the credit for Team 5!”
A strained smile stretched across Yu-ji’s face.
She lowered her voice like some shady criminal caught red-handed.
“I’ll continue helping from behind the scenes… So could you keep this secret… just once…?”
“That you’re a possessor, Investigator Lee Yu-ji?”
The word “possessor” made her shoulders twitch.
“It’s a fascinating skill. Based on what I’ve observed, your possession skill is at least A-rank… no, maybe even higher. Am I wrong?”
I’m screwed…
Cold sweat slid down her back.
Because her skill was—
Your Body Is Mine, My Body Is Mine (EX)
Not A-rank.
Not S-rank.
EX-rank. Outside classification.
Officially, she was “F-rank.”
Someone like her was NOT supposed to have that kind of ability.
“And you want me to keep such a colossal secret? In exchange for performance records?”
“…Yes…?”
Her voice was small.
Because she knew Kwon Ik-sung’s original personality.
In the novel, he was a by-the-book perfectionist.
The law is the law.
Means must be ethical.
The person who embodied those phrases.
There was no way he would trade performance records.
“…Fine.”
…He would?
Yu-ji blinked in disbelief.
“…Fine?”
“But the conditions need adjusting.”
“I-I’ll do anything—”
“Transfer to Team 1.”
“Oh, that’s easy—well, I should still discuss it with my team leader…”
“And date me.”
“That too—wait. W-what?”
A strange squeak escaped her.
Ik-sung was still expressionless.
Which made it even more confusing.
He raised an eyebrow.
“Do you also need to ‘discuss’ that kind of thing with your leader?”
“N-no?”
Yu-ji stared at his face, frowning.
“…What did you just say?”
“Transfer to Team 1.”
“And then?”
“Date me.”
His annoyingly handsome face did not change at all.
This is not the face of someone asking for a romantic relationship…
And why was transferring to Team 1 connected to dating?
An absurd theory flashed in her mind.
“A-ah… are you the type who likes the thrill? Someone with a fetish for secret workplace dating with a teammate…?”
She subtly leaned back, looking at him as if he were a pervert.
Ik-sung twitched.
“…No.”
“So you mean—”
You actually LIKE me?
Out of nowhere?
Yu-ji stared at the ring on her finger.
FYI, it wasn’t a proposal ring.
It was a special restraint device.
So obviously, this “dating” thing was—
“A fake relationship.”
There it is.
But his next words shattered all her expectations.
“…The Gamer is targeting you.”
Fake dating wasn’t to infiltrate some wedding.
It was because a criminal was after her?
And what did dating have to do with that?
And why her?
She didn’t even have time to ask.
Both their phones went off at once.
Then the interrogation room door burst open.
“Sir! The HSU building computers—!”
Both stood up.
Ik-sung reacted fastest.
Yu-ji hurried after him.
On every monitor in headquarters, the same message appeared.
Lee Yu-ji, you’re the reason I live ♡
…Oh, for fu—
Was the rhyme real…?
Another message popped up.
If you raise Hunter Lee Yu-ji’s salary, I’ll give you a hint about my identity.
“The higher-ups are discussing ways to increase your salary…”
Yu-ji tore her hair.
This couldn’t be real.
She knew who ‘The Gamer’ was.
The protagonist of the original story.
The one criminal Ik-sung never caught.
Choi Woo-jin.
Yu-ji looked at Ik-sung miserably.
“I told you. The Gamer’s after you.”
NOT in that way!!
How did it come to this?
She was getting recruited and asked to date by an elite investigator.
And flirted with by the original novel’s protagonist.
—Even worse—
Status Effect: “Nameless Extras in Crime Novels Always Die” Activated!
All she wanted was to avoid a stupid death flag.
And then Hong the Head Chief added:
“Higher-ups say if you catch the Gamer, we’ll promote you to Rank 3.”
…Rank 3?
In her past life, she was Rank 9.
A six-grade promotion!
Sure, hunters were technically “special civil servants,” so pay scale was different, but—
Yu-ji’s civil servant instincts lit up like fireworks.
Rank 3…!
Her years of hard work flashed before her eyes.
“I’ll get him! I swear! I will personally drag that ‘Gamer’ to prison!”
…Just like that, she declared she would capture the protagonist herself.
And everything began on her first day at work.
An old building, with creaky windows that screeched every time they opened.
Smell of sweat everywhere.
Instant noodle cups tossed between files.
Hunter Investigation Unit Headquarters.
Yu-ji inhaled deeply and spoke in a bright, clear voice:
“Hello! I’m Lee Yu-ji, newly assigned to Team 5!”
And the moment she bowed—
a lightning bolt of realization struck:
…I’ve transmigrated into a hunter novel.
And only now, at twenty-four, did she understand that.
